Congressman Claims Abstinence Only Sex Ed Works

Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) went on Tony Perkins’ radio show and claimed that abstinence only sex education works really, really well, better than comprehensive sex ed in fact. He wants to spend more than $100 million more on abstinence only sex ed.

Perkins: What you’re doing is you’re redirecting money from a program that has negative consequences and redirecting some of it into one that has proven to have positive outcomes.

Hultgren: That’s right, yes. Like you said, this has changed dramatically under President Obama and his administration and Kathleen Sebelius. Basically they see it as a slush fund that they can use however they want to and they are putting it into some very dangerous and experimental education programs for younger and younger children. What this would do is money that is already there would put it into programs that we know work. You look at the track record for abstinence education, incredible success records, kids really want to make good choices and if we give them good information it will just help them make these good choices.

Study after study has shown that abstinence-only sex ed, at very best, means kids put off their first intercourse for a few months, but also makes them far less likely to use contraception when they do. The result is higher rates of teen pregnancy and abortions.

… Because that way it doesn’t LOOK like the government is funnelling money to religious organizations in a shameful attempt to buy votes.

marcus

“Study after study has shown that abstinence-only sex ed, at very best, means kids put off their first intercourse for a few months, but also makes them far less likely to use contraception when they do. The result is higher rates of teen pregnancy and abortions.” This has been demonstrated time and time and time again.

The outright fucking lying these people engage in is simply astonishing!

I think what he means by “work” is that they punish girls who are “sluts.”

Artor

Yes, abstinence-only sex ed has incredible success records, if by that you mean completely not credible.

raven

Ask Bristol Palin how well abstinence only works.

Teen age pregnancy has being going down steadily for 5 decades.

There have been a few upward trends. During the Reagan years and during the Bush years when abstinence only sex ed. was flying high.

Teen age pregnancy is an important statistic because it highly correlates and is causal for life long poverty.

Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) is just indlulging in the fundie xian ritual of human child sacrifice. Sacrificing the futures of many children and their babies on the altar of delusions and lies.

mobius

I have to wonder is people like Mr. Hultgren can even remember what they felt when they were teenagers. It’s been a very long time for me, but I can still recall that abstinence was about the last thing on my mind.

You know darn well it works! And it would work even better if those darn kids would stop fornicating! Personally, I blame Liberal Hollywood and their promotion of deviant morality. And teacher’s unions!

This stuff never happened back in my day. Back then, we drank milkshakes and sock-hopped, and never went up to Lover’s Leap and did…you know. Sure, the occasional girl would put on some weight, move out of town to her grandparent’s for six months for some reason, then come back looking tired or come back looking tired with a new sister, but that’s just basic Biblical biology.

kantalope

I can’t believe YOU people. Of course Obstinance Only Education works – look how much money people pushing and providing it have made.

The free-hand (don’t ask what the other hand is doing) of the market, with generous government subsidies, guarantees that only quality products make it.

And while boys will be boys (those lovable scamps), those slutty-slut-sluts deserve gods gift of a lovely punishment-fetus for their horrible crimes.

Basically they see it as a slush fund that they can use however they want to and they are putting it into some very dangerous and experimental education programs for younger and younger children.

Whereas you see it as a slush fund to spend in dangerous educational programs that have already been proven to be ineffective.

coragyps

I am astonished that some congresscritter – possibly here in Texas, since we do the stupid so very well here – hasn’t gone on the the painfully obvious next step in this whole fuss. Outlaw Fucking! They could propose laws that felonize (I hope that isn’t a word) sexual conduct of any sort between unmarried persons, and double the penalties for unmarried underage persons!! That would be even more effective than abstinence-only sex ed, because we know that high-school kids are very observant of the law – just look at how minute the amount of beer and weed consumed by them is!

I guess there could be a couple of exemptions to the law, maybe: clerics, legislators with interns, y’know, just to keep our focus on Small Government and Freedom of Religion….

Sastra

You look at the track record for abstinence education, incredible success records, kids really want to make good choices and if we give them good information it will just help them make these good choices.

When they talk about the “track record” they mean the “success record.” In other words, the testimonials. “I decided not to have sex because of this program … and I didn’t get pregnant!” The human element. The personal concern. The value of the individual.

Screw the statistics. Bring on the success stories. Abstinence Only Sex Ed works because we have personal testimonies from kids who were put on the right track and saved from a life of sin! Narrow is the path and all that…

That’s what you get when you combine politics with a religious mindset.

corporal klinger

Do these people never ever even glimpse into other countries? Do they never stop to think ” Hey, country X is doing well because of Y ”

Why is it so damn hard for countries to learn from each other, you know, the good stuff.

Sorry, I forgot. America, the united states of, is not only exceptional but also the bestest country of the whole fucking world!

Ichthyic

He wants to spend more than $100 million more on abstinence only sex ed.

oh, so sorry, can’t buddy….

sequester.

Ichthyic

Abstinence Only Sex Ed works because we have personal testimonies from kids who were put on the right track and saved from a life of sin! Narrow is the path and all that…

yup, just like any snake oil salesman, they rely on either duped or deliberately false “testimonials”.

Ichthyic

Of course Obstinance Only Education

not a typo, right?

Ichthyic

Study after study has shown that abstinence-only sex ed, at very best, means kids put off their first intercourse for a few months, but also makes them far less likely to use contraception when they do. The result is higher rates of teen pregnancy and abortions.

I suppose it actually would be a good idea to link to a few of those.

here’s one:

Conclusions

Teaching about contraception was not associated with increased risk of adolescent sexual activity or STD. Adolescents who received comprehensive sex education had a lower risk of pregnancy than adolescents who received abstinence-only or no sex education.

as Ed notes, there are dozens and dozens, and they are overwhelming evidence AGAINST the idea that abstinence education works to reduce teen pregnancies, STDs, or anything else frankly, other than reducing useful knowledge.

Ichthyic

…but then, since when did these fuckwits EVER rely on actual science to inform their decisions anyway.

It might be different if there existed an actual argument in the literature for and against, but there simply isn’t one.

ABSTINENCE EDUCATION DOES NOT WORK.

iknklast

I suppose it depends on what you count as success. If you mean it is more effective at teaching kids about Jesus and his love (creepy; why is he loving all these teenagers who aren’t legal yet? Aren’t there laws against that?) – well, you have to admit that religious abstinence only sex education is going to succeed at that much better than secular comprehensive sex ed. Success in anything depends a lot on what your actual goal is.

tbp1

Of course abstinence-only education works: it funnels millions of public dollars to the private entities that produce and distribute the curricula (I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that these are disproportionately Republican-leaning), and punishes females for having sex while leaving males relatively unscathed. It also allows for a lot of hypocritical moral preening by GOP politicians.

If you define “success” as “lowering rates of STDs and unwanted pregnancy,” well, not so much.

didgen

When your home pregnancy test reads +, I think that can be considered a negative consequence. He is right though abstinence only education does lead to more of these “positive” outcomes.

Well, yes, of course it works–until you, um, like, fuck. Then, not so much. But, it’s all okay, ‘cuz, then you have several positive outcomes.

First off, you KNOW that Jr. is a stud who can fill them quivers.

Secondly, you have a shamedslut to add to the flock–now that she understands what her place is.

Thirdest…..um, uh, JESUS!!

matty1

You know he was actually quite close, all it takes is editing out a few words

money that is already there would put it into programs that we know work. You look at the track record for abstinence education, incredible success records, kids really want to make good choices and if we give them good information it will just help them make these good choices.

I agree, more information is good and at least makes good choices possible*. The question is why the Congressman thinks removing all mention of contraception from a sex-ed class counts as more information.

*If you don’t know the condoms decrease the risk of STDs you can’t choose to wear one for that reason.

These politicians act like this is only about what the government spends our money on or about teaching teenagers to behave themselves. But nature has made sure that people are going to have sex, and pathogens have evolved to take advantage of this frequent interaction between people. Not teaching kids how to avoid these diseases will lead to very serious outcomes for women. How many women will have ectopic pregnancies leading to fetal death and sometimes maternal death? How many women will be come infertile (often without even knowing they were infected)? How many will suffer chronic pelvic pain for years to come? These actions by politicians show reckless indifference for the lives of their constituents.